Bringing The Last Of The Cows Home
We brought the last of the cows home today. Up shortly after six and horses saddled and in the trailer by seven thirty we got back in the house after dark. Four pickups and trailers, two semis, five horses and four 4wheelers. Tons of children and plenty of help. I don’t know how many pairs. Enough.
Tanna came and helped again today. We are always thrilled when she’s home on break and even more so when she spends that time with us! She rode Coyote, again. My daughter didn’t even get upset at having her horse taken. She stayed at the vehicles with Cowboy Bill instead of riding the 4wheeler with her father even,
Our son rode with his father. I don’t know if he had fun. Other than a glimpse of him standing in the middle of the pasture peeing I didn’t hardly see him. We went separate ways.
This is Rusty’s second time doing grown up work. The first time was less upsetting without any unknown horses around. Once they started calling his mind was blown. Luckily there was enough distance to cover that he lost some steam. Fortunately with so many people along no one person, namely us, was vital to the mission and I could spend some time working with him and playing with my phone.
They came out of the pasture easy enough and down the road. We were sent on ahead to help turn them into the corrals because, in theory, horses could get around them easier. In fact though we could not and out desperate attempt to pass the herd wasn’t even needed as Cowboy Bill and my daughter were having no difficulty at all helping them make the turn.
That done I kicked poor Tanna off Coyote and we put my daughter on. We headed out for a very nice ride. Until I got a call wanting to know where in the world we were?! We had to get home to sort the pairs they were getting loaded and hauling. Oops 😉
Back home Tanna, husband, and I spent the day sorting. We made quick easy work of it and spent a fair bit of time waiting for trucks. The hauling and sorting was finished in time for a late lunch that we ate picnic style on the in laws lawn.
After lunch most of the many children went off to climb on the hay bales. Some of the adults started running the calves through the chute for vaccinations. Tanna and I got back on Coyote and Rusty to gather the cattle we brought home earlier from the pasture they’ve been enjoying. We had them in and sorted in no time.
My husband had been preparing the feed truck and when Tanna went home to spend some time with her family over her Thanksgiving break, weird, I went along to help fill the feed bunks for everybody. We got the cows taken care of and came back.
Just in time to see a calf standing around outside of the pens. He was obviously not supposed to be there even if we didn’t know where it was that he was supposed to be. I jumped off the 4wheeler and hurried down to open the gate to try to put him back in. He followed me. Hurrying turned into a mad dash. Both hoping he would follow and that he wouldn’t follow too quickly and I would be able to get to the gate before he caught up. At the gate I leapt up a few rungs before looking back again.
He had stopped. I flung the gate wide and my husband, waiting back on the 4wheeler pushed him through.
The ones working cows came out. They had seen him jump the guard rail fence flat footed with no one around. No one pressuring him. He was just done. He got reunited with his group and got his shot anyway.
The calves are all weaned now. They are across a fence from their mothers, they can see and touch and talk to the just not nurse. The moms are mostly fine with the whole thing. They will get a little more upset when their bags start get full. The calves are mostly weaned already though, nursing once or twice a day.